UN Experts Warn of Forced Labor Crimes Against Humanity in China

United Nations human rights experts warn that the Government of China is employing systematic forced labor targeting Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Tibetan minorities. In a joint statement issued January 22, 2026, the experts described a pattern of state-imposed labor practices using coercion and intimidation through programs officially framed as poverty alleviation through labor transfer. These schemes reportedly compel ethnic minorities into assigned jobs in Xinjiang and other provinces under intensive surveillance and the threat of arbitrary detention.

The experts stated that the severity of these measures may amount to crimes against humanity, specifically enslavement and forcible transfer. They estimated that nearly 650,000 Tibetans were subjected to labor transfers in 2024, while millions more were affected by whole-village relocation initiatives between 2000 and 2025. UN experts argued the policies aim to forcibly re-engineer cultural identities and urged global businesses to conduct rigorous human rights due diligence to prevent forced labor products from entering supply chains.

On January 23, 2026, the Chinese government rejected the allegations. Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, described the concerns as completely fabricated and groundless, asserting that the government remains committed to protecting human rights.